Yum cha#Customs and etiquette

File:HK 中環 Central 威靈頓街 Wellinton Street shop 蓮香樓 Lin Heung Aberdeen Street March 2020 SS2 01.jpg serves traditional dim sum in Central, Hong Kong]]

Yum cha ({{zh|t=飲茶|s=饮茶|p=yǐn chá{{cite web|title=饮茶 - Entry in Chinese dictionary|url=http://www.yellowbridge.com/chinese/dictionary.php|website=Yellow Bridge|access-date=5 April 2017}}|cy=yám chà|j=jam2 caa4|first=t}}; lit. "drink tea"), also known as going for dim sum (Cantonese: 食點心), is the Cantonese tradition of brunch involving Chinese tea and dim sum.{{Cite web|title=Yum Cha – Cantonese Tea Brunch Tradition|url=https://www.travelchinaguide.com/chinese-yum-cha.htm|access-date=2020-08-05|website=www.travelchinaguide.com}} The practice is popular in Cantonese-speaking regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, and Macau.{{Cite web|date=2019-03-13|title=The Culture Cantonesa - Yum Cha|url=https://agendachina.com/la-cultura-cantonesa-yum-cha/|access-date=2020-08-05|website=China Agenda|language=en}} It is also carried out in other regions worldwide where there are overseas Chinese communities, like Vietnam, Australia, Canada, England and the United States.{{Cn|date=December 2024}}

Yum cha generally involves small portions of steamed, pan-fried, or deep-fried dim sum dishes served in bamboo steamers, which are designed to be eaten communally and washed down with hot tea. Traditionally, the elderly gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises.{{Cite book|date=2009-04-01|title=Entertaining from ancient Rome to the Super Bowl: an encyclopedia}} Many have yum cha with family during weekends and holiday gatherings.{{Cite magazine|title=How to Order Dim Sum, According to the Head Chef of the First Chinese Restaurant in North America to Receive a Michelin Star|url=https://time.com/5750814/dim-sum-ordering-guide/|access-date=2020-07-03|magazine=Time}}{{Cite web|date=3 April 2013|title=Dim Sum: A tradition that's anything but dim|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1206248/dim-sum-tradition-thats-anything-dim|access-date=2020-07-03|website=South China Morning Post|language=en}}

File:Dim sum city - Hong Kong.jpg

{{More citations needed section|date=December 2024}}

Yum cha in the Cantonese language, both literary and vernacular, literally means "drink tea". "飲" means "to drink", and "茶" means "tea". The term is also used interchangeably with tan cha (嘆茶) in the Cantonese language, which colloquially translates to "enjoy tea".{{Cite web|date=2020-02-05|title=Dim Sum, a Beginner's Guide to the Cantonese Cuisine|url=https://www.honestfoodtalks.com/dim-sum-guide-yum-cha/|access-date=2020-10-30|website=Honest Food Talks|language=en-GB}}

In Cantonese, yum cha refers to having a meal with dim sum dishes. Dim sum is the English word based on the Cantonese pronunciation of 點心.

In colloquial Mandarin dialects and Standard Vernacular Chinese based on one form of colloquial Mandarin, this character ({{lang|zh|喝}}) is often used to mean 飲 for the verb "drink". In the Chinese language, 點心 refers to a variety of foods, including European-style cakes and pastries, and has no equivalent in English.

In the English language, dim sum refers to small-dish appetizers and desserts.

File:Dimsum breakfast in Hong Kong.jpg

In the early 800s, the etiquette as well as manners of the tea ceremony were already established in the Pure Rules of Huaihai ({{lang|zh-hant|百丈清規}}) by the Tang dynasty Zen master Baizhang Huaihai ({{lang|zh-hant|百丈懷海}}) (749-814) as well as its transmission to Japan in 1103 in the Zenen Shingi({{lang|zh-hant|禅苑清規}}).{{cite book|title=茶の研究|publisher=MUSASHINO GAKUIN|location=Japan|pages=30–31|url=https://www.musashino.ac.jp/mggs/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/hakase_shirai_3shou.pdf|author-link=|editor=Enomoto Sachiko|access-date=6 May 2025|year=2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2025-0506-2210-16/https://www.musashino.ac.jp:443/mggs/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/hakase_shirai_3shou.pdf|archive-date=6 May 2025}} It is evident that, along with tea, simple nuts and sweets were mainly used as accompaniments to tea, marking the prototype of modern tea-drinking customs which had already been completed. Furthermore, these practices spread as tea-drinking customs in Japan by the early 1100s.{{cite book|title=お菓子の歴史|publisher=Nakamura Gakuen University|location=Japan|pages=34–35|url=https://www.nakamura-u.ac.jp/~hashimot/members/papers/Vol3/Vol3-6.pdf|author-link=|editor=江藤 詩織, 大穂 舞子, 楢崎 真実|access-date=6 May 2025|year=2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012134746/https://www.nakamura-u.ac.jp/~hashimot/members/papers/Vol3/Vol3-6.pdf |archive-date=12 October 2018}}{{cite book|title=本の万華鏡|publisher=National Diet Library, Japan|location=Japan|url=https://www.ndl.go.jp/kaleido/entry/25/1.html|access-date=6 May 2025|year=2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622183154/https://www.ndl.go.jp/kaleido/entry/25/1.html|archive-date=22 June 2017}}{{Cite|date=2017-01-10 |title=和道　日本文化 心のしきたり 美のこだわり 喫茶の始まりと「書院の茶」！|publisher=Nikkei Business Publications |url=https://business.nikkei.com/atcl/report/15/280393/120900010/|format=HTML|accessdate=2025-05-06 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125030504/https://business.nikkei.com/atcl/report/15/280393/120900010/|archivedate=25 November 2020}}

The history of the tradition can also be traced back to the period of the Chinese Xianfeng Emperor, who first referred to establishments serving tea as yi li guan ({{lang|zh-hant|一釐館}}, "1 cent house"). These offered a place for people to sociality, which became known as cha waa ({{lang|zh-hant|茶話}}, "tea talk"). These tea houses grew to become their own type of restaurant and the visits became known as yum cha.{{Cite web|last=Tribune|first=Leslie Gourse, Special to The|title=DIM SUM HAS COME A LONG WAY, FROM ESOTERIC TO MASS POPULARITY|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-03-13-8802290511-story.html|access-date=2020-08-05|website=chicagotribune.com|date=13 March 1988 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Dim Sum Is the Original Brunch|url=https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/dim-sum-is-the-original-brunch|access-date=2020-08-05|website=MyRecipes|language=en}}

File:How To Dim Sum - A Beginner's Guide.webm

Traditionally, yum cha is practiced in the morning or early afternoon,{{Cite web|title=The Ultimate Guide to Dim Sum!|url=https://dimsumguide.com/site/page/the-ultimate-guide-to-dim-sum|access-date=2022-02-21|website=Dim Sum Guide|language=en}} hence the terms zou cha ({{lang|zh-hant|早茶}}, "morning tea") or ha ng cha ({{lang|zh-hant|下午茶}}, "afternoon tea") when appropriate. The former is also known as yum zou cha ({{lang|zh-hant|飲早茶}}, "drinking morning tea"). In some parts of Guangdong province, restaurants offer dim sum during dinner hours and even late at night. This is known as yum je cha ({{lang|zh-hant|飲夜茶}}, "drinking night tea"), though most venues still generally reserve the serving of dim sum for breakfast and lunch periods.{{Cite web|date=2015-03-22|title=History of dim sum|url=https://www.yauatcha.com/life/home/home-featured/history-of-dim-sum/|access-date=2020-08-05|website=Yauatcha Life|language=en-GB|archive-date=2020-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922181340/https://www.yauatcha.com/life/home/home-featured/history-of-dim-sum/|url-status=dead}} The combination of morning tea, afternoon tea, evening tea, lunch and dinner is known as sam cha leung fan ({{lang|zh-hant|三茶兩飯}}, "three tea, two meal").{{cite web|url=http://www.foodreport.cn/fresh.php?action=view&id=273|title=说说能增进彼此感情的广式下午茶|website=Food Report|last1=贾|first1=思航|access-date=2015-11-11|archive-date=2017-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107221332/http://www.foodreport.cn/fresh.php?action=view&id=273|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://guangzhou.lotour.com/zhengwen/2015/01/1259492.shtml|title=去广州喝早茶 做一回地道的广州人|website=Lotour.com|publisher=乐途社区|access-date=2015-11-11|archive-date=2017-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107165856/http://guangzhou.lotour.com/zhengwen/2015/01/1259492.shtml|url-status=dead}}

File:Dim-sum-HK.JPG|alt=]]

The traditional methods of serving dim sum include using trays strung around servers' necks or using push carts. The teoi ce ({{lang|zh-hant|推車}}, "push-cart") method of serving dim sum, dates back to the early 1960s and includes dim sum items cooked in advance, placed into steamer baskets, and brought out on push carts into the dining area.{{cite book|last=Phillips|first=C.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2zvIDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA6|title=The Dim Sum Field Guide: A Taxonomy of Dumplings, Buns, Meats, Sweets, and Other Specialties of the Chinese Teahouse|publisher=Ten Speed Press|year=2016|isbn=978-1-60774-956-1|pages=5–6|access-date=5 November 2016}}{{Cite web|last=Chan|first=David R.|date=2016-11-07|title=Dim Sum: Cart or No Cart?|url=https://www.menuism.com/blog/dim-sum-cart-or-no-cart/|access-date=2020-08-08|website=Menuism Dining Blog|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202040628/https://www.menuism.com/blog/dim-sum-cart-or-no-cart/|url-status=dead}} Employees call out the items they are serving, customers notify the server about the items they would like to order, and the server places the desired items on the table. The general yum cha atmosphere is a loud, festive one due to the servers calling out the dishes and the groups of diners having conversations.{{Cite book|last=Anderson, E. N., 1941-|title=The Food of China|year=1988|isbn=0-300-03955-7|location=New Haven|oclc=16925192}}

Many dim sum restaurants now use a paper-based à la carte ordering system.{{Cite web|last=James|first=Trevor|date=2019-08-09|title=What is Dim Sum + The Ultimate Ordering Guide|url=https://www.thefoodranger.com/what-is-dim-sum-the-ultimate-guide/|access-date=2020-07-03|website=The Food Ranger|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2017-12-10|title=Six rules for eating dim sum like a pro|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2123276/six-rules-eating-dim-sum-hong-kong-pro|access-date=2020-07-03|website=South China Morning Post|language=en}} This method provides fresh, cooked-to-order dim sum while managing the real estate and resource constraints involved with push cart service.{{Cite web|last=Embiricos|first=George|date=2015-06-16|title=Dim Sum Has Gotten The Hell Out Of Chinatown|url=https://www.foodrepublic.com/2015/06/16/dim-sum-has-gotten-the-hell-out-of-chinatown/|access-date=2020-07-03|website=Food Republic|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Britain's Dim Sum Trolleys Are Making Their Last Rounds|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/britains-dim-sum-trolleys-are-making-their-last-rounds/|access-date=2020-07-03|website=Vice|date=25 April 2016 |language=en}}

File:HK 上環 Sheung Wan 樂古道 Lok Ku Road 中源中心 Midland Centre 嘉豪酒家 Ka Ho Restaurant tableware food menu June 2019 SSG.jpg

The cost of a meal was traditionally calculated by the number, size and type of dishes left on the patron's table at the end. In modern yum cha restaurants, servers mark orders by stamping a card or marking a bill card on the table.{{Cite book|date=2009-04-01|title=Entertaining from ancient Rome to the Super Bowl: an encyclopedia}}{{Cite web|title=Your Complete Guide to Dim Sum, the Traditional Chinese Brunch|url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/delicious-dim-sum-chinese-brunch-694544|access-date=2020-07-03|website=The Spruce Eats|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=What Is Dim Sum? The Beginner's Guide to South China's Traditional Brunch Meal|url=https://asiasociety.org/reference/what-dim-sum-beginners-guide-south-chinas-traditional-brunch-meal|access-date=2020-07-03|website=Asia Society|language=en}} Servers in some restaurants use distinctive stamps to track sales statistics for each server.{{Cn|date=December 2024}}

Image:Yumcha finger tapping.jpg

The customs associated with the tea served at yum cha include:

• Selecting the type of tea to be served immediately after being seated by the server.{{Cite web|title=The Serious Eats Guide to Dim Sum|url=https://www.seriouseats.com/2011/04/guide-to-dim-sum-dumplings-siu-mai-bao-chinese-steamed-buns.html|access-date=2020-08-06|website=www.seriouseats.com|language=en}}{{Cite book|date=2009-04-01|title=Entertaining from ancient Rome to the Super Bowl: an encyclopedia}}
• Pouring tea for others before filling one's own tea cup, especially for the young ones serving tea to the elderly first, as a sign of politeness.{{Cite web|last=Chiang|first=Karen|title=The yum cha rules you need to know|url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190227-the-yum-cha-rules-you-need-to-know|access-date=2020-08-05|website=www.bbc.com|language=en}}
• Filling tea cups to about 80% because of the Cantonese proverb 「{{lang|zh-hant|茶滿欺客，酒滿敬人}}」,{{cite news|last1=邹|first1=全荣|title="酒满敬客 茶满欺人" 茶桌上倒茶礼仪你知道吗|publisher=幸禠|agency=中国网|url=http://www.china.com.cn/travel/txt/2014-11/19/content_34091698.htm}} which is translated literally as "it is fraud for the guest if the tea cup is full, but it is a sign of respect when it is alcohol."
• Tapping the table with two (occasionally one) fingers of the same hand in a gesture known as 'finger kowtow' that is a gesture of gratitude after receiving tea. This gesture can be traced to the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty, who used to travel incognito.{{Cite web|date=2016-10-10|title=Hong Kong's Symbolic Tea Etiquette|url=https://www.theloophk.com/hong-kong-city-culture-guide-history-tea-etiquette/|access-date=2020-08-05|website=The Loop HK|language=en-US}} While visiting the Jiangnan region, he once went into a teahouse with his companions. In order to maintain his anonymity, he took his turn at pouring tea. His companions wanted to bow to show their gratitude, but to do so would have revealed the identity of the emperor. Finally, one of them tapped three fingers on the table (one finger representing their bowed head and the other two representing their prostrate arms).
• Flipping open the lid (of hinged metal tea pots) or offset the tea pot cover (on ceramic tea pots) to signal an empty tea pot. Servers will then refill the pot.{{Cite web|last=Chiang|first=Karen|title=The yum cha rules you need to know|url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190227-the-yum-cha-rules-you-need-to-know|access-date=2020-07-03|website=BBC|language=en}}
• Following a traditional practice of washing the utensils with the first round of tea, tea is best served in hot cup to restore the temperature.{{Cite web|last=Gao|first=Sally|title=6 Things You Should Know Before Eating Dim Sum In Hong Kong|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/hong-kong/articles/six-things-you-should-know-when-eating-dim-sum-in-hong-kong/|access-date=2020-08-05|website=Culture Trip|date=22 November 2016 }}{{Cite web|title=The Rituals of Dim Sum|url=https://www.hkfoodcrawlers.com/blog/2018/7/25/the-rituals-of-dim-sum|access-date=2020-08-06|website=Hong Kong Food Crawlers|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Insiders|first=CityUnscripted and all the City|title=How to eat dim sum like a local in Hong Kong|url=https://www.cityunscripted.com/travel-magazine/how-to-eat-dim-sum-like-a-local|access-date=2020-08-06|website=www.cityunscripted.com|language=en}} A basin is available for disposing of the rinse tea. The taste of the first round of tea is considered not the finest yet, and will be richer afterwards.China Times(15 December 2014). "[https://tube.chinatimes.com/20141215004427-261402 香港「飲茶禮儀」 先熱茶先洗碗洗筷子] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322015008/https://tube.chinatimes.com/20141215004427-261402 |date=2019-03-22 }}" [Video file]. Retrieved from https://tube.chinatimes.com/20141215004427-261402

For the diners, some typical customs include:

• Selecting the tables closest to the kitchen because the dim sum carts exit from there and the diners closest to the kitchen have first choice of the fresh dishes.{{Cite web|title=How to be a yum cha master|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2020/01/29/how-be-yum-cha-master|access-date=2020-08-06|website=Food|date=29 January 2020 |language=en}}
• Ordering dessert dishes on the dim sum carts at any time since there is not a set sequence for the meal.{{Cite web|title=Dim Sum Etiquette - Chinese/Lunar New Year {{!}} Epicurious.com|url=https://www.epicurious.com/archive/holidays/lunarnewyear/dim-sum|access-date=2020-08-06|website=Epicurious|date=5 January 2012 |language=en}}
• Feeling comfortable with declining dishes being offered by servers pushing the dim sum carts, regardless of the reasons (dietary, food preference, budgetary, or other reasons).{{Cite web|title=How to be a yum cha master|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2020/01/29/how-be-yum-cha-master|access-date=2020-08-06|website=Food|date=29 January 2020 |language=en}}

File:HK TKL 調景嶺 Tiu Keng Leng 都會駅 MetroTown Shopping mall shop 豪宴海鮮集團酒家 Ho Yin Seafood Group Restaurant Lunch 點心小食 dim sum 飲茶 tea food April 2019 SSG 06.jpg

While eating, some of the manners include:

• Spinning the lazy susan such that the oldest person at the table has the opportunity to have the first serving when the meal starts or when an additional dish is served, to show respect.{{Cite news|last=Daniel A. Gross|title=The Lazy Susan, the Classic Centerpiece of Chinese Restaurants, Is Neither Classic nor Chinese|language=en|work=Smithsonian Magazine|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/lazy-susan-classic-centerpiece-chinese-restaurants-neither-classic-nor-chinese-180949844/|access-date=2020-07-06}}{{Cite web|last=Insiders|first=CityUnscripted and all the City|title=How to eat dim sum like a local in Hong Kong|url=https://www.cityunscripted.com/travel-magazine/how-to-eat-dim-sum-like-a-local|access-date=2020-08-06|website=www.cityunscripted.com|language=en}} The lazy susan should not be spun when someone is taking food from a dish.
• Refraining from standing chopsticks straight up vertically, such as in rice or buns, due to the resemblance of incense offerings for the deceased.
• Offering dining companions the final serving when there is one last piece or final serving remaining on a dish.
• Insisting on paying the bill as it is common to treat one another to meals.{{Cite web|title=Defending Your Honor: How to Fight for a Bill in China|url=https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2012/02/the-etiquette-of-fighting-for-a-bill/|access-date=2020-08-06|website=The World of Chinese|archive-date=2020-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108094039/http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2012/02/the-etiquette-of-fighting-for-a-bill/|url-status=dead}}
• In the case when there is no lazy Susan, only pick up the food which is in front of you.{{Cn|date=December 2024}}

File:Lin Heung Kui - Must Try Dim Sum in Hong Kong.webm]]

Yum cha continues in both traditional and modern forms, including restaurants serving both traditional and modern fusion dim sum.{{Cite web|last=Falkowitz|first=Max|date=2020-03-05|title=The Changing World of Dim Sum|url=https://medium.com/airbnbmag/dim-sum-is-dead-long-live-dim-sum-f2eb94200cbb|access-date=2020-08-05|website=Medium|language=en}} Modern dim sum can include dishes like abalone siu mai and barbecued wagyu beef bun.{{Cite web|title=The Evolution of Hong Kong's Yum Cha Culture|url=https://guide.michelin.com/hk/en/hong-kong-region/hong-kong/article/features/%E9%BB%9E%E9%BB%9E%E5%BF%83%E6%84%8F|access-date=2020-08-08|website=MICHELIN Guide|language=en-HK}} Dim sum chefs for yum cha continue to be trained at leading culinary institutes. One restaurant in Hong Kong creates social media-friendly dishes by preparing dumplings and buns shaped to resemble animals.{{Cite web|last=Schulman|first=Amy|title=Hungerlust: One Man Is Reshaping Yum Cha in Hong Kong|url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/articles/hungerlust-one-man-is-reshaping-yum-cha-in-hong-kong/|access-date=2020-08-06|website=Culture Trip|date=24 October 2018 }} Whether traditional or modern-day, yum cha is to be shared with friends and loved ones.

• Dim sum
• Table sharing
• Lin Heung Tea House
• Hong Kong cuisine
• Tea (meal)

{{Reflist}}

• Everything You Want to Know about Chinese Cooking by Pearl Kong Chen, Tien Chi Chen, and Rose Tseng. Woodbury, New York: Barron's, 1983.
• How to Cook and Eat in Chinese by Buwei Yang Chao. New York: The John Day Company, 1945.
• Dim Sum: The Delicious Secrets of Home-Cooked Chinese Tea Lunch by Rhoda Yee. San Francisco: Taylor & Ng, 1977.
• Classic Deem Sum by Henry Chan, Yukiko, and Bob Haydock. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1985.
• Chinese Dessert, Dim Sum and Snack Cookbook edited by Wonona Chong. New York: Sterling, 1986.
• Tiny Delights: Companion to the TV series by Elizabeth Chong. Melbourne: Forte Communications, 2002.

{{Commonscat|Yum cha}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olGNcFoFrX4 The Culinary Institute of America - Dim sum for Breakfast at Hong Kong's Lin Heung Restaurant]
• [https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/guide-to-yum-cha-dishes-20100826-13txc.html The Sydney Morning Herald - Guide to Yum Cha Dishes]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDZ_H5TFoDQ#action=share The Gothamist - How to Dim Sum: A Beginner's Guide]

{{Cantonese cuisine}}

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